Yesterday, I was taking a walk for no apparent reason other than I like to take long walks sometimes. I find that it helps -- if I'm stuck on a plot point or some other element in a story I'm working on, the walking seems to clear out my brain and very often a useful idea occurs to me.

Anyway, a car went by and there were four or five teenage girls in it. One of them yelled, "Hey, I want your baby!" I said, "I don't have one, you'll have to look elsewhere."

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People complain about the ubiquitous MySpace-style camera-phone-in-bathroom-mirror pics that have become something of a cliche by now.

I decided to parody the form by taking the stupidity level up a notch. This picture is me using a Pentax Optio SV camera to take a picture of me taking a picture of myself in a bathroom mirror with a camera phone. I know, it's way too subtle. I took the picture last weekend, in the bathroom of a small business establishment, and posted it as my main pic on a couple of sites, because I think it's art.

One of the sites I posted it on is what's called an "Alternative" site, although I'm not entirely clear on "Alternative" to what. But I figured there seem to be a lot of pseudo- and quasi-artistic types there, so what the hell.

And the profile views have just exploded off the charts since I put that pic up yesterday.

Now I'm wondering if there's some gene that causes women to notice cell-phone-bathroom-mirror pics. Well, that's why we have Research Foundations.

Apply for a government grant to explore this further. They have given money away for far less meaningful research. This could be the answer!!!!!!

It has been discovered that cave people used to carv a pic of them in the bushes and post it in various dating caves.

It's important that this be the subject of a major philanthropic organization's 'research and studies' grant ... I mean, if money can be wasted on finding answers to things like why young girls like to have sex, well, DUH ... THIS is much more pressing ... Enquiring minds, 'n all that ...

Exactly my point!

Lex: Could it be that now someone who is an aspiring photographer, (and incidentally looks like Billie Piper) will notice your cellphone-bathroom-mirror pic and read your profile only to discover that she is your perfect match? She's out there somewhere. Not wanting children, not drinking AND the thought of turning you into a goat would never cross her mind. Hope the new pic works. It can only be a matter of time.

I have seen hundreds of similar pics, no one as of yet has ever been able to explain why "that" is supposed to be "cool." It looks pretty stupid and vane at best.

Lex, you forgot to have one of those dumb expressions on your face while taking that pic, I'm fairly certain it's standard bathroom pic criteria

i looked it at

i was like what the h e double hockey sticks is he doing with a camera up and a phone taking dual pics damn he's pimping

I have often wondered about profile photos with baseball caps & sunglasses

That's what I keep telling myself....!

I am the epitome of an alternative site ...

I don't understand it either. It's like they can only deal with a very small bit of technology, otherwise their heads will explode.

So I try to make fun of the whole concept and THIS is what people notice! I've been doing it wrong all this time....

Also, I realized later that the pic is supposed to be at a really weird angle and I'm supposed to be wearing a ton of eye makeup.

I just thought you were taking up stereoscopic photography

It was hard enough to coordinate two separate pictorial devices!

I'm thinking of doing one with a camera in one hand and a fish in the other.

I'm devastated you've made my confession public domain ... <--- Head exploding

Eccentric authors are supposed to wear that stuff. It's in the manual.

I tried but I couldn't find the bass control on the phone....

In the interests of Full Disclosure, I'm not actually a priest.